Tag: Hue Jackson

Report: Steelers interviewed ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson for their offensive coordinator opening

Jackson is one of several candidates for the Steelers OC job

Could Hue Jackson wind up working for every AFC North team? The Pittsburgh Steelers are interested enough in making that happen that they interviewed Jackson for their offensive coordinator vacancy this week, per a report from ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

Jackson was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2016 through the middle of the 2018 season, when he was fired after winning just three times in 41 games. His 2017 Browns are one of two teams to ever finish 0-16 in an NFL season.

Jackson has had three separate stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, including serving on their offensive staff during the 2018 season after being fired by the Browns. The 55-year-old Jackson was also the QB coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 2008-2009.

The Steelers parted ways with coordinator Randy Fichtner after losing to the Browns in the wild-card round earlier this month. Jackson is among several candidates to interview for the vacancy.

REPORT: Steelers search for OC continues with former Browns HC Hue Jackson

Promoting QB coach Matt Canada must’ve hit a roadblock, as Pittsburgh searches for its next offensive coordinator.

While on Saturday it was reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were expected to promote quarterbacks coach Matt Canada to offensive coordinator, there must be an issue. ESPN’s Dianna Russini tweeted on Thursday that the Steelers interviewed former Browns head coach Hue Jackson earlier this week for the coordinator position.

Jackson has had very brief stints with four different teams as OC — Washington (2003), Atlanta Falcons (2007), Oakland Raiders (2010), Cincinnati Bengals (2014, 2015). In Oakland, he was promoted to head coach in 2011, the year after his offense was 10th in yards and 6th in points. In both seasons, the Raiders ended 8-8, and he was fired after one season as head coach.

In two seasons with the Bengals, his offenses averaged 15th in yards and 15th in points and 15th in points and 7th in yards.

Jackson was fired after two and a half seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Browns after producing records of 1-15, 0-16, and 2-5-1. The tie, as many of us remember, was versus the Steelers.

Jackson will never get a head coaching position again in the NFL, but he did have a modicum of success as offensive coordinator.

What’s intriguing to me is what’s happening (or not) with Canada. He appeared to be a shoo-in in Pittsburgh, then suddenly he wasn’t. It makes you wonder what’s going on behind closed doors.

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Report: If Vikings OC Gary Kubiak retires, Hue Jackson and Klint Kubiak will get looks

The Minnesota Vikings may have an opening at offensive coordinator this offseason. Hue Jackson and Klint Kubiak will reportedly get looks if so.

The Vikings have had five different offensive coordinators during the Mike Zimmer era and the team may have to make it six this offseason.

That’s because current Minnesota offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is leaning towards retirement, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported what they were hearing about the latest openings across the league, and the Vikings’ potentially open offensive coordinator spot came up. Here’s what the two wrote:

“One note for the assistant coaching carousel: Don’t be surprised if Mike Zimmer at least talks to old friend Hue Jackson for the Vikings’ offensive coordinator job if Gary Kubiak retires. ‘[Kubiak is] taking some time to mentally think about the season and where he’s at healthwise, and he’ll decide what he wants to do,’ Zimmer said Tuesday.

Jackson is hoping to get back into coaching. Vikings quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak, Gary’s son, has done good work with Kirk Cousins and would also get a look.”

Neither of these candidates are very shocking. Kubiak would be a sign of continuity and Jackson is a well-established coach whom Zimmer is familiar with. I think either would be a decent choice.

6 head coaches who returned after 0-11 starts the previous year

Adam Gase wouldn’t be the first coach to be retained after starting the previous season 0-11.

The future of Adam Gase and the Jets is still up in the air despite his 0-11 start to the 2020 season.

Despite another poor offensive showing in Week 12, the Jets are still employing Gase as their head coach. General manager Joe Douglas and quarterback Sam Darnold have expressed confidence in Gase, even as the Jets sink further and further. The offense still ranks dead last among the NFL’s 32 teams in points and yards, and New York only scored a field goal this past week after averaging 27.5 points in the previous two games.

Gase hasn’t proven to be a good head coach in his first 27 games with the Jets. His offense looks stagnant, his younger players have regressed and the team lacks overall competency in a competitive conference and division. If Gase continues to lose, his chances of staying on as coach past this season obviously will continue to shrink. Douglas would be wise to move on from Gase sooner rather than later, especially considering there are more qualified candidates among NFL coordinators and in the college ranks.

But history has shown teams aren’t always willing to dump coaches who underperform early in their tenures.

There are 15 NFL head coaches who have started a season 0-11, including Gase. Of those 15, six were not fired at the conclusion of the season. Like Gase, they were all in either their first or second seasons with their team. This doesn’t necessarily mean the Jets will keep Gase after this year, but it isn’t a foregone conclusion that Douglas will fire Gase.

Let’s take a look back at what happened with the six NFL coaches who kept their jobs after starting 0-11 the previous year.

Cowboys’ McCarthy won’t join ranks of one-and-done coaches

The NFL is no stranger to quick hooks among the coaching ranks, but Stephen Jones confirms that Mike McCarthy will return in 2021,

The 2020 season has gone badly enough that the question had to be asked on Monday: will first-year head coach Mike McCarthy survive the proverbial bloodbath to return next year? The answer from Stephen Jones was an unequivocal yes, but that got the wheels turning. Just how bad do things have to go for a coach to last a year or less?

Not as bad as some might think. There is a rich history of trigger-happy owners showing their new charges the door in a hurry. Peruse the handy list below to take a look at some of the quickest hooks the league has ever seen. Note: for those wondering, Bill Belichick’s day-long employment with the New York Jets is not included; he never actually coached a game.

Year Team Coach Record
2019 CLE Freddie Kitchens 6-10
2019 ARI Steve Wilks 3-13
2013 CLE Rob Chudzinski 4-12
2011 OAK Hue Jackson 8-8
2009 SEA Jim Mora 5-11
2007 MIA Cam Cameron 1-15
2007 ATL Bobby Petrino 3-10
2006 OAK Art Shell 2-14
2001 WAS Marty Schottenheimer 8-8
2000 NYJ Al Groh 9-7
1999 GB Ray Rhodes 8-8
1994 NYJ Pete Carroll 6-10
1993 WAS Richie Petitbon 4-12
1984 MIN Les Steckel 3-13
1978 SF Pete McCulley 1-8
1977 LAR George Allen 0-2*
1976 NYJ Lou Holtz 3-10

Poor Al Groh got shown the door after a winning record! A nine-win season would require the Cowboys to run off a seven-game win streak, a statistical improbability that would dash the dreams of all draft fans. Three different men finished a respectable .500 before getting the axe. The majority of the coaches, though, really put in the kind of work that rightfully earned them a ticket to the unemployment line. This much is clear, however: working for the Jets, Browns, or Raiders could be considered an occupational hazard.

Still, just two team owners, if they had any semblance of self-awareness, would look back and rue the day they moved on from their coaches so quickly. Pete Carroll would go on to build a mini-dynasty that’s still going with the Seattle Seahawks, winning one Super Bowl and appearing in another. And Marty Schottenheimer went on to a critically-acclaimed run with the San Diego Chargers, though he always fell short of the promised land.

This won’t be the case for McCarthy and the Joneses. Even though a three- or four-win season in 2020 seems as likely as any other outcome, and as badly as some fans already want to pivot in a new direction, it’s not happening. It’s hard to say that the newest coach in Dallas deserves as much criticism as he’s received, given the circumstances he’s faced.

At a minimum, McCarthy’s job security for next year was likely locked in the moment starting quarterback Dak Prescott was lost for the season. Even though a divorce is inevitable, as it always is in the league whose initials are said to stand for “Not For Long,” it won’t happen in Dallas this off-season.

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Flashback: The Hue Jackson era ended two years ago today

A look back at what happened and some of the aftermath of the Hue Jackson era

Facebook isn’t good for much these days, but the “On this date” feature that popped up on Thursday morning was a quick eye-opener.

On this date, October 29, 2018, the Cleveland Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson. The Browns were 2-5-1 and coming off an ugly loss to the Steelers, one that featured a lot of finger-pointing and contentious activity on the sidelines between Jackson, offensive coordinator Todd Haley and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Ownership finally had enough of Jackson and his 3-36-1 record since the start of the 2016 season. Haley also got the axe, losing the power struggle with Williams. The gruff defensive coach became the interim head coach, promoting little-known Freddie Kitchens to offensive coordinator in the process.

Two years later, Jackson is unemployed. Haley is coaching high school football in Florida. Williams is running the defense for the winless Jets on another coaching ship that can’t take on much more water before sinking.

It’s fun, and more than a little maudlin, to look back at the immediate aftermath of Jackson’s firing. Here are some of the pieces we published:

Report: Baker Mayfield ‘not going to exactly miss Hue Jackson’

5 potential permanent replacements for Hue Jackson

Odds have Zac Taylor, Lincoln Riley favorites to become Browns next head coach

The Browns have come a long way in two years.

Baker Mayfield quietly growing as a leader

Mayfield is taking hints from Kevin Stefanski’s approach to leadership

Baker Mayfield quickly became one of the most recognizable quarterbacks in football for his brash, swaggering braggadocio. From planting the flag in The Horseshoe while a conquering hero and Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma to mocking former Browns coach Hue Jackson, while making several (admittedly fantastic) commercials and Fortnite dances on the side, Mayfield proved he liked to be seen and heard as much as possible.

Now entering his third season in the NFL, the Browns quarterback is quietly acknowledging that maybe scaling it back is the best course. A reflective, matured Mayfield explained how he’s changed as a leader in his Zoom teleconference with reporters following Sunday’s Browns practice at FirstEnergy Stadium.

“I wouldn’t say it’s anything on the field,” Mayfield said carefully. “I would say it’s within our locker room, getting around the guys and realizing that I have to do much more than just let my play on the field [speak for itself] to be the quarterback for this team.”

He’s learning how to read the room, and it’s a different locker room than the one he joined in Cleveland in 2018. Mayfield senses the change in what a more veteran-laden unit needs from him to succeed.

“I have to put my arm around these guys, lead them and show them the way, and especially in these uncertain times, if the schedule changes and all that, to never waver, never falter. Just showing those guys that I can be the leader, no matter what,” Mayfield continued.

Mayfield’s newfound philosophy is almost certainly a reflection on the more subdued and professional demeanor of head coach Kevin Stefanski. While he will be firm and get into players, Stefanski is less excitable and more measured in practices.

Former coach Freddie Kitchens encouraged the antics, while Jackson didn’t really do much of anything as the head coach. Those approaches worked some for Mayfield, but the QB is smart to embrace trying things more in Stefanski’s way than the mixed bag he’s produced in his first two seasons.

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Browns have been well ahead of the curve in hiring minorities

The Browns have had 3 men of color as head coaches and 3 other African-Americans running the team

The NFL continues to try and promote minority hiring among its 32 member clubs. The latest attempt at expanding upon the “Rooney Rule” is a proposal that will provide draft incentives for teams to hire and retain minorities in coaching and front office positions.

Voting on this proposal will come soon, and it’s a divisive issue that creates many unpleasant conversation tentacles and debates. Hiring people of color in positions of power in a league where people of color make up over two-thirds of the players seems like a natural concept, but it hasn’t worked out that way in most places.

Cleveland has largely been one of the few exceptions. The Browns have been one of the most aggressively progressive organizations in hiring African-American men to prominent decision-making roles.

Take new GM Andrew Berry. He’s the third African-American hired to run the Browns front office (in one title or another) in the last decade, following Sashi Brown and Ray Farmer. Cleveland’s longest-tenured head coach 1999 is Romeo Crennel, hired in 2005 and lasting four full seasons. Hue Jackson — hired by Brown — got 2.5 seasons as the head coach. Terry Robiskie even had a brief run as an interim coach. The Browns are one of the very few NFL organizations that have had multiple people of color as both head coaches and general managers.

 

Hue Jackson: Joe Burrow is ‘going to change the landscape of the Cincinnati Bengals’

The former Bengals coach has some thoughts on Joe Burrow.

The discussion surrounding Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals has taken some interesting twists and turns lately.

And now Hue Jackson has weighed in on the matter.

The former member of the Browns and Bengals showed up on the Pat McAfee Show and talked about Burrow and the Bengals:

“You have to take the swing when it’s there. And he’s sitting there. The guy had a phenomenal season…he played as well as any quarterback that’s entering the draft in a long time. I think they still have a pretty veteran team, but if you don’t have that guy under center, it’s going to be hard for you to win any games.”

The big one Bengals fans will want to see: “He’s going to change the landscape of the Cincinnati Bengals, in my opinion.”

That’s a much more optimistic slant than Bengals fans have heard lately, especially with Dan Patrick suggesting he might not think Burrow is thrilled about the idea.

Jackson is speaking from an interesting place considering he was with the Bengals and Andy Dalton for some time before going to Cleveland, just in time for the Browns to use the No. 1 pick on Baker Mayfield. He later briefly returned to the Bengals alongside Marvin Lewis.

Normally a polarizing figure, Bengals fans will have a hard time finding fault with Jackson’s thoughts here.

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